West Oakland station is a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station in the West Oakland neighborhood of Oakland, California. It has two elevated side platforms and is located near the eastern end of the Transbay Tube. All main BART lines except the Orange Line stop at the station. The Oakland Wye is located to the east of the station.

History

thumb|left|West Oakland station in 2018

By August 1965, the city of Oakland desired to call the planned station Oakland West. BART approved the name that December. The station opened on September 16, 1974 – the last station of the initial BART system to open – with the beginning of service through the Transbay Tube. The name "Oakland West" was contrary to the actual neighborhood name of "West Oakland". The efforts of neighborhood activists led BART to correct the name to West Oakland around 1987.

In 1990, West Oakland was proposed as a station for the service to replace the damaged 16th Street station. It was again proposed in 1992 as an intermodal station including Amtrak and buses as part of the replacement of the Cypress Street Viaduct. Seismic retrofitting of the station took place in 2009–2011. West Oakland was the first BART station to be retrofitted with new fare gates intended to reduce fare evasion. Installation of the new gates took place from December 11–28, 2023.

Development

thumb|left|The south parking lot in 2024 prior to development

In December 2013, BART issued a request for qualifications for a developer to construct transit-oriented development (TOD) to replace parking lots surrounding the station. The BART Board of Directors approved the plans in June 2020. A revised version was approved by the city in November 2020. After several years of delay, a $47 million state grant awarded in December 2025 allowed the developers to move forward with the project. , construction on the first building is expected to begin in mid-2026.

, BART indicates "significant market, local support, and/or implementation barriers" that must be overcome to allow TOD on a separate parcel isolated from the main development. That second phase would not begin until at least the mid-2030s. A separate development was planned at 500 Kirkham Street; the private developer lost the property in foreclosure in October 2023.

References

  • BART – West Oakland
  • BART – Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) - West Oakland
  • City of Oakland – West Oakland BART Development (Mandela Station)